San Diego Zoo Exhibit overlap between San Diego Zoo and Safari Park

DavidBrown

DavidBrown

Well-Known Member
15+ year member
Someone asked me recently how different the San Diego Zoo is from the Safari Park. This made me think through what species and exhibits the two campuses have in common.

Mostly what they exhibit in common that I could think of are charismatic megafauna species:
Giraffes (Masai)
African elephants (a couple Asian elephants still at the zoo too)
Indian rhinos
Gorillas
Lions
Tigers (different subspecies)
Cheetahs (education animals at the zoo)
California condors
Flamingos (Chilean at the zoo and lesser and greater at the Safari Park?)

What other exhibits/species do the zoo and the Safari Park share?

The small reptile and invertebrate collection in Hidden Jungle at the Safari Park is now gone, so the herps and invertebrates are mainly at the zoo now. The only primates at the Safari Park on exhibit are gorillas and ring-tailed lemurs.

Is there much overlap in the bird collections beyond the condors?
 
Interesting comparison. I believe Okapis are also present in both collections (or were in 2014 when I last visited). I need to go through my records to see what else was shared at the time but, as far as birds are concerned, I recall seeing secretary birds in both facilities.
 
Regarding flamingos, the park has Chilean, greater and lesser while the zoo has American and lesser. Unless something has changed they both also have meerkats do they not?
 
Unless something changed, the Park should have Kikuyu colobus on exhibit.

Both have Soemmerring's gazelles, yellow-backed duiker, red river hog.

The park normally would have an okapi but he transferred to the zoo for breeding several months back.

The Park and Zoo both have Storm's storks, great white pelicans, secretary birds, African spoonbills, southern bald ibis, sunbittern, great blue turaco, green imperial pigeon, golden breasted starling, emerald starling, saddle-billed storks, and Guam kingfishers. In the case of the park, the last two are off exhibit.

The zoo will probably end up with ring tailed lemurs as part of African Rocks.

Hope I helped!
 
Some of the overlap is unnecessary. I really wish the zoo would get rid of the giraffes in that lousy exhibit and just have them at the park. Same with rhinoceros if they still have one near the giraffes at the zoo.
 
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Arizona Docent said:
Some of the overlap is unnecessary. I really wish the zoo would get rid of the giraffes in that lousy exhibit and just have them at the park. Same with rhinoceros if they still have one near the giraffes at the zoo.
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I think most of Urban Jungle could do with a refresh. They have 2.0 Indian rhinoceros there.
 
Arizona Docent said:
Some of the overlap is unnecessary. I really wish the zoo would get rid of the giraffes in that lousy exhibit and just have them at the park. Same with rhinoceros if they still have one near the giraffes at the zoo.
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They could definitely do this,but I get the feeling both species would be missed...I have to wonder...are any major zoos (speaking in terms of attendance,not ZooChat preference ;)) missing rhinos? Or giraffes? And if so which ones? I could see rhinos but I can't imagine very many of America's top zoological institutions missing giraffes.
 
Interesting comparison; What about shoebills? Do the park still have them? And whether the zoo have them?
I thought the park have diverse non-human primate collection, including bonobos?
 
Nikola Chavkosk said:
Interesting comparison; What about shoebills? Do the park still have them? And whether the zoo have them?
I thought the park have diverse non-human primate collection, including bonobos?
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The Zoo does not have shoebills. Park has shoebills on and off exhibit. It went through a series of major collection changes throughout the last 5-10 years (don't know exactly). Only three primate species are left (colobus, gorilla, and ring tailed lemurs).
 
Nikola Chavkosk said:
Interesting comparison; What about shoebills? Do the park still have them? And whether the zoo have them?
I thought the park have diverse non-human primate collection, including bonobos?
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There were bonobos at the Safari Park, but once the monorail shut down their exhibit was no longer accessible to the public. They all moved to the zoo to the main bonobo troop several years ago.

There used to be a spider monkey exhibit and gibbon exhibit at the park. The spider monkeys moved to the zoo (I don't think that exhibit by the restaurant that they lived in exists any longer?) and the gibbon exhibit was transformed into the current ring-tailed lemur walk-through exhibit.
 
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Shellheart said:
They could definitely do this,but I get the feeling both species would be missed...I have to wonder...are any major zoos (speaking in terms of attendance,not ZooChat preference ;)) missing rhinos? Or giraffes? And if so which ones? I could see rhinos but I can't imagine very many of America's top zoological institutions missing giraffes.
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Rhinos are absent from Woodland Park, Dallas, National, Oakland and Minnesota while giraffes are absent from National and Minnesota.
 
National is also missing hippos. Despite missing three of the big megafauna species they do just fine (however them not having any of the three is one of the big complaints of the zoo).
 
Although neither are on exhibit at each place, I believe both of them have tamandua.
 
I believe both have ratel unless the park sent theirs away. The zoo will have them in two exhibits in African Rocks.
 
Does anyone know if there have been any rumors/speculations about a new giraffe and/or rhino exhibit being built at the zoo and where it might be? Also have there been any rumors about what will become of Former Elephant Mesa
 
GraysonDP said:
Does anyone know if there have been any rumors/speculations about a new giraffe and/or rhino exhibit being built at the zoo and where it might be? Also have there been any rumors about what will become of Former Elephant Mesa
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Before Elephant Odyssey there were hints in the member's magazine that Elephant Mesa was going to be developed as a savanna exhibit area. That obviously did not happen - the giraffes got moved to Elephant Mesa on the footprint of an old rhino exhibit and the rhinos moved into the old elephant exhibit.

It would make thematic and logistical sense that the former Elephant Mesa would be redeveloped as a savanna area to connect to Africa Rocks, but other than 20 year old rumors that predate Elephant Odyssey there is no information out there that I have seen.
 
DavidBrown said:
Before Elephant Odyssey there were hints in the member's magazine that Elephant Mesa was going to be developed as a savanna exhibit area. That obviously did not happen - the giraffes got moved to Elephant Mesa on the footprint of an old rhino exhibit and the rhinos moved into the old elephant exhibit.

It would make thematic and logistical sense that the former Elephant Mesa would be redeveloped as a savanna area to connect to Africa Rocks, but other than 20 year old rumors that predate Elephant Odyssey there is no information out there that I have seen.
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Could it be connected to Africa Rocks though? Wouldn't any connection have to be via either the Outback exhibit or Dog/Bear Canyon?
 
zooboy28 said:
Could it be connected to Africa Rocks though? Wouldn't any connection have to be via either the Outback exhibit or Dog/Bear Canyon?
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Good question. There is a lot of construction going on in the zoo now, and of course anything beyond Africa Rocks is speculation and I really don't know the answer.
 
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